Method for molding substance on substrate and device formed thereby

ABSTRACT

A method for molding a molded substance to a substrate is provided. A substrate connected to a fixing portion by a connecting portion is prepared. The substrate is placed in a mold, wherein a portion of the fixing portion is protruding from the mold. The fixing portion is fixed by a fixing device outside the mold. Then, the molded substance covering the substrate is formed within the mold.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a molding method and deviceformed thereby, and more particularly relates to a method for moldingone substance to another substance and the molded product.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Diversified appearances can be obtained by molding processes.However, some molding materials are not heavy or strong enough in someapplication. For solving the above-mentioned or other problems,sometimes it is desirable to mold one substance to another substratemade of different material.

[0003] When proceeding such a molding process, it is very important tomaintain the mold and the substrate in a fixed position. However, it isdifficult to fix the substrate within the mold since the moldingmaterial is often injected into the mold cavity with high pressure. Forsolving such a problem, a substrate holder installed within the mold isused. A portion of the molded shell is performed while the substrate isfixed by the substrate holder. Then the holder is removed and theremaining molding process is performed. However, such a process is verytroublesome. It is then attempted by the Applicant to solve theabove-mentioned problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide a method formolding one substance on a substrate.

[0005] Another object of the present invention is to provide a moldeddevice having a core substrate enveloped by a molded shell.

[0006] According to the present invention, a method for molding a moldedsubstance to a substrate is provided. First of all, a substrateconnected to a fixing portion by a connecting portion is prepared. Thesubstrate is placed in a mold, wherein a portion of the fixing portionis protruding from the mold. The fixing portion is fixed by a fixingdevice outside the mold. Then, the molded substance covering thesubstrate is formed in the mold.

[0007] Preferably, the method further includes a step of removing thefixing portion from the substrate and the molded substance. To executethis step, the connecting portion is capable of being separated by anexternal force exerted on the portion of the fixing portion protrudingfrom the mold.

[0008] It is preferable to form the fixing portion and the substrateintegrally. Preferably, the connecting portion is a groove.

[0009] When the fixing portion is removed from the molded substance, ahole is formed on the surface of the molded substance. It is preferableto fill up the hole by a filling substance. Preferably, the fillingsubstance is pre-molded. More preferably, the filling substance and themolded substance are made of the same material.

[0010] The fixing portion preferably includes a structure for preventingthe substrate moving away from the fixing device. The structure of thefixing portion preferably includes a body portion connecting to thesubstrate; and a top portion connecting to and larger than the bodyportion.

[0011] The fixing device preferably further includes an opening having awidth smaller than that of the top portion for preventing the topportion from leaving said fixing device.

[0012] According to another aspect of the present invention, a methodfor molding a first substance to a second substance is provided. Themethod includes steps of: preparing the second substance, wherein thesecond substance is connected to a plurality of fixing portions; placingthe second substance in a mold, wherein the plurality of fixing portionsare protruding from the mold; fixing the second substance by fixing theplurality of fixing portions; and injecting a material of the firstsubstance into the mold to form the first substance on the secondsubstance.

[0013] Preferably, one or more of the plurality of fixing portionsis/are connected to the second substance by a connecting portion capableof being broken for separating this fixing portion from the secondsubstance. The first fixing portion is preferably integrally formed withthe second substance. Preferably, the connecting portion is a groove.

[0014] When the first fixing portion is separated from the secondsubstance, a hole will be formed on the first substance. It ispreferable to fill up the hole with a filling substance.

[0015] One or more than one of the plurality of fixing portions may bemade of material the same as that of the first substance.

[0016] It is preferable to form an opening on the second substance sothat a specific one of the plurality of fixing portions can be pluggedonto the substrate through the opening.

[0017] According to another aspect of the present invention, a moldeddevice is provided. The molded device includes a substrate; a moldedsubstance covering the substrate except at least one hole, wherein themolded substance is formed by only one molding process; and a fillingsubstance filling up the at least one hole.

[0018] The filling substance and the molded substance are preferablymade of the same material.

[0019] The substrate is preferably made of metal.

[0020] The molded substance is preferably made of plastic.

[0021] The molded device preferably further includes an opening formedon the substrate and an element capable of performing a specificfunction, wherein the element is plugged on the opening.

[0022] Preferably, a portion of the element is covered by the moldedsubstance.

[0023] The present invention may best be understood through thefollowing description with reference to the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] FIGS. 1(a)-1(e) illustrate a preferred embodiment of a moldingmethod according to the present invention;

[0025] FIGS. 2(a)-2(b) illustrate another preferred embodiment of amolding method according to the present invention; and

[0026] FIGS. 3(a)-3(b) shows still another preferred embodiment of amolding method according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0027] An illustration of how to manufacture the molded device of thepresent invention is shown in FIGS. 1(a) to 1(e). Referring to FIG.1(a), a substrate 1 is prepared before the molding process. Thesubstrate 1 is cylindrical or any other shape as desired. The substrate1 is connected to a fixing portion 2 with a connecting portion 3. Theconnecting portion 3 may be a groove, a slot, a notch, or any otherstructure that may be separated by a force exerted on the fixing portion2. Once the connecting portion 3 is broken, the fixing portion 2 isseparated from the substrate 1. Preferably, the substrate 1, the fixingportion 2, and the connecting portion 3 are integrally formed. They maybe directly manufactured from a block of row material such as metal bylathing, stamping, and/or any other machining processes. The fixingportion 2 is so constructed that it is capable of being properly held orclamped by a fixing device. Accordingly, the substrate 1 can be fixedwithin the mold during the molding process. The two cylinders 21 and 22with different radius, as shown in FIG. 1(a), are constructed for theabove-mentioned purpose. Of course, any other structure or shape capableof performing similar function is also available.

[0028] The substrate 1 is then placed into a mold 4. The fixing portion2 is exposed from the mold 4 so that it can be held or clamped by afixing device 5. Referring to FIG. 1(b), the fixing device 5 includes anopening 51. When the fixing portion 2 is fixed by the fixing device 5,the width of the opening 51 is similar to that of the body portion 21and is smaller than that of the top portion 22. Accordingly, the opening51 can prevent a movement of the substrate 1 due to the injection of themolding material. The injected material is injected into the mold 4through the nozzle 41. Since the injected material is injected into themold 4 with high velocity and viscosity, a drag force intending to pullthe substrate 1 away from the fixing device 5 will be occurred. However,since the top portion 22 is stopped by the opening 51, the substrate 1will not be moved by such a drag force during the molding process. Afterthe injection process, a molded substance 6 is formed on the surface ofthe substrate 1. The molded substance 6 covers the connecting portion 3and a portion of the fixing portion 2.

[0029] The molded substrate 6 is molded to the substrate 1 while thesubstrate 1 is properly fixed. If needed, the fixing portion 2 can beseparated from the substrate 1 and the molded substance 6. FIG. 1(c)illustrates an example of how to remove the fixing portion 2 from thesubstrate 1 and the molded substance 6. The fixing portion 2 is twistedand/or tore and pulled off the substance 6. The connecting portion 3 canbe any structure capable of helping such a separation. The substrate 1and the fixing portion 2 can be formed integrally. They can also be twoindividual elements connected by the connecting portion 3.

[0030] Once the fixing portion 2 is removed, a hole 61 is formed on themolded substance 61. As shown in FIG. 1(d), it is preferable to fill thehole 61 by a filling substance 7. The filling substance 7 can be made ofmaterial the same as that of the molded substance 6. It can also be madeof other material. The filling substance 7 can be pre-molded by othermold.

[0031] Referring to FIG. 1(e), succeeding mechanical processes can beperformed to remove a portion of the filling substance 7 protruding fromthe surface of the molded substance 6. After a surface-trimming process,it looks like that the remaining portion 71 is integrally formed withthe molded substance 6. Therefore, a molded device/element having asubstrate enveloped by a molded substance is obtained. Furthermore, themolded substance can be formed by only one injecting process.

[0032] The substrate may be made of metal or other material as desired.The molded substrate may be made of plastic or other material asdesired.

[0033] If needed, more than one fixing portion can be applied. Referringto FIG. 2(a), the substrate 9 is connected to fixing portions 11 withconnecting portions 10 respectively. The fixing portions 11 arerespectively fixed by fixing devices 12. The fixing portions 11 can beformed integrally with the substrate 9. It is also possible that one ormore fixing portions 11 is/are replaced by other material. However,since the injected material, especially the portion near the injectingnozzle of the mold, has a considerable high temperature, theheat-resistance of the fixing portion and the location of the injectingnozzle must be considered carefully. If the distance between a fixingportion with a low heat-resistance and the injecting nozzle is short,the fixing portion may be melt down by the injected material. Of course,when such a fixing portion is far from the injecting nozzle, theinjected material has already been cooled before contacting the fixingportion. In such a situation, a relatively low heat-resistance materialsuch as plastic can be chosen to manufacture the fixing portion.

[0034] Referring to FIG. 2(b), with processes similar to those shown inFIGS. 1(c) to 1(e), the molded substance 13 is formed on the substrate9. The holes caused by the fixing portions are filled with fillingsubstances 14. The filling substances 14 are often made of material thesame as the molded substance 13. Of course, if one or more fixingportions 11 are made by material the same as the filling substances 14,it is not necessary to remove such a fixing portion, and a trimmingprocess is directly executed to obtain the product shown in FIG. 2(b).

[0035] In some applications, one or more of the fixing portion can bereplaced by elements capable of performing a specific function.Referring to FIG. 3(a), the substrate 15 is connected to fixing portions19 and 21. The substrate 15 is connected to the fixing portion 21 by theconnecting portion 20. The structures and functions of the fixingportion 21 are similar to those shown in FIGS. 1(b) and 2(a). However,the fixing portion 19 is a pen tip plugged on an opening 22 formed atone end of the substrate 15. When the substrate 15 is placed into a mold16, the ends of the fixing portions 19 and 21 are exposed from the mold16 and are fixed by the fixing devices 18. If the fixing portion 19 ismade of plastic or other material having relatively low heat-resistance,the molded material has to be injected from the nozzle 21 which are farfrom the fixing portion 19. The product after the molding process isshown in FIG. 3(b). The substrate 15 and a portion of the fixing portion19 are covered by the molded substance 22 formed during the moldingprocess. Accordingly, the fixing portion 19 will be properly connectedto the substrate 15 by the molded substance 22. The hole formed due tothe removal of the fixing portion 17 is filled up by the fillingsubstance 23.

[0036] By the molding method of the present invention, the rigidityand/or the weight of a molded device/element are improved. The moldedsubstance can be molded to the substrate by only one molding process.The method and device of the present invention can be applied to anyfiled that needs to mold a substance to another substance.

[0037] While the invention has been described in terms of what arepresently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments,it is to be understood that the invention needs not be limited to thedisclosed embodiment. On the contrary, it is intended to cover variousmodifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit andscope of the appended claims which are to be accorded with the broadestinterpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similarstructures.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for molding a molded substance to asubstrate; comprising: preparing said substrate connected to a fixingportion by a connecting portion; placing said substrate in a mold,wherein a portion of said fixing portion is protruding from said mold;fixing said fixing portion by a fixing device outside said mold; andexecuting a molding process in said mold to form said molded substancecovering said substrate.
 2. A method according to claim 1, furthercomprising a step of removing said fixing portion from said substrateand said molded substance.
 3. A method according to claim 2 wherein saidconnecting portion is capable of being separated by an external forceexerted on said portion of said fixing portion protruding from saidmold.
 4. A method according to claim 2 wherein said fixing portion andsaid substrate are formed integrally.
 5. A method according to claim 4wherein said connecting portion is a groove.
 6. A method according toclaim 2 wherein a hole is formed on said molded substance when saidfixing portion is removed from said molded substance.
 7. A methodaccording to claim 6, further comprising a step of filling up said holeby a filling substance.
 8. A method according to claim 7 wherein saidfilling substance is pre-molded.
 9. A method according to claim 7wherein said filling substance and said molded substance are made of thesame material.
 10. A method according to claim 1 wherein said fixingportion includes a structure for preventing said substrate moving awayfrom said fixing device.
 11. A method according to claim 10 wherein saidstructure of said fixing portion includes: a body portion connecting tosaid substrate; and a top portion connecting to and larger than saidbody portion.
 12. A method according to claim 11 wherein said fixingdevice further includes an opening having a width smaller than that ofsaid top portion for preventing said top portion from leaving saidfixing device.
 13. A method for molding a first substance to a secondsubstance; comprising steps of: preparing said second substance, whereinsaid second substance is connected to a plurality of fixing portions;placing said second substance in a mold, wherein said plurality offixing portions are protruding from said mold; fixing said secondsubstance by fixing said plurality of fixing portions; and injecting amaterial of said first substance into said mold to form said firstsubstance on said second substance.
 14. A method according to claim 13wherein a first one of said plurality of fixing portions is connected tosaid second substance by a connecting portion capable of being brokenfor separating said first fixing portion from said second substance. 15.A method according to claim 14 wherein said first fixing portion isintegrally formed with said second substance.
 16. A method according toclaim 15 wherein said connecting portion is a groove.
 17. A methodaccording to claim 14, wherein a hole is formed on said first substancewhen said first fixing portion is separated from said second substance,and said method further comprises a step of: filling up said hole with afilling substance.
 18. A method according to claim 13 wherein a secondone of said plurality of fixing portions and said first substance aremade of the same material.
 19. A method according to claim 13, furthercomprising a step of: forming an opening on said second substance; andplugging one of said plurality of fixing portions onto said secondsubstance through said opening.
 20. A molded device comprising: asubstrate; a molded substance covering said substrate except at leastone hole, wherein said molded substance is formed by only one moldingprocess; and a filling substance filling up said at least one hole. 21.A molded device according to claim 20 wherein said filling substance andsaid molded substance are made of the same material.
 22. A molded deviceaccording to claim 20 wherein said substrate is made of metal.
 23. Amolded device according to claim 20 wherein said molded substance ismade of plastic.
 24. A molded device according to claim 20, furthercomprising an opening formed on said substrate and an element capable ofperforming a specific function, wherein said element is plugged on saidopening.
 25. A molded device according to claim 24 wherein a portion ofsaid element is covered by said molded substance.